Boy’s Kiss With Carrie Underwood Came After His Home Burned Down

Chase Kurnick’s kiss with country superstar Carrie Underwood was his first, and it came near the end of a difficult year for the 12-year-old. In May, his family’s house burned down after a lightning strike. Nothing like a smooch from one of the most beautiful women on the planet to lift your spirits.

Kurnick stood near the front row at Underwood’s show in Louisville, Ky. holding a sign that said “Carrie, Be My 1st Kiss.” He tells CNN that Underwood noticed the sign and winked at him earlier in the show. When pressed by Jeanne Moos, he sticks to his story that she was his first. It’s made his friends jealous.

“I learned to close my eyes. And determination,” the boy says about the what he took away from the viral moment. Then he added, “I learned something about Carrie Underwood. She wears cherry lip balm!”

Kurnick’s father helped him with the sign, outlining the words before Chase colored them in. He says he’s not totally foregoing dental hygiene to savor her flavor. “Well I’ll brushed my teeth, but not my lips.”